Pre-Implementation Strategies to Support Adaptation of Thrive: A Care Transitions Model for Economically Disadvantaged Patients with Serious Mental Illness

Abstract

Background: Economically disadvantaged patients diagnosed with serious mental illness (SMI) experience post-hospitalizations disparities due to fragmented care transitions. Purpose: To describe the pre-implementation strategies used to adapt and implement a nurse-led transitional care intervention (Thrive) to meet the needs of economically disadvantaged patients diagnosed with an SMI. Methods: Two pre-implementation strategies, Evidence Based Quality Improvement (EBQI) meetings and Formative Evaluation (FE) research, were used to adapt intervention components. FE data included semi-structured interviews analyzed using Rapid Qualitative Analysis. Findings: Adaptations were made to core components of Thrive and strategies to support implementation were identified. Conclusions: Participatory strategies help to adapt interventions that are person-centered and tailored to the organizational context. Trial: NCT06203509.

Keywords

• serious mental illness
• Medicaid
• transitional support
• pre-implementation research
• health services research